Vermont and the Olympics

The Olympics have been a joy to watch and it was great to see the United States beat Canada in Hockey last night. One of the best parts of the Olympics has been the success of our state of Vermont both from a medal standpoint as well as some of the work athletes have done away from their sport. The state of Vermont already leads over 70 countries in the medal count. Freestyle skier Hannah Kearney won a gold and Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark picked up silver and bronze in the snowboard halfpipe. Our state still has some cross country and alpine skiers to compete.


Maybe more impressive than the medals is the charitable work Hannah Teter has done. All her prize winnings at events is given to charity but she has also started a her own charity, Hannah’s Gold after winning a gold medal in Torino in 2006. The charity focuses on the community of Kirindon in Kenya. It raises money from the sale of maple syrup and her own Ben and Jerry’s ice cream “Maple Blondie” to help pay for children's school fees, provide safe drinking water, help with local agriculture, and anything else the community needs. Teter attributes some of the morals and beliefs instilled in her working on her parents land in Vermont to her charitable work today. Great to see our state shine both on the podium and with regards to social awareness and helping those less fortunate.